Improvement in steam-engine condensers



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VERANKIIIN EANsoM, oE BUFFALO, NEW Yonx.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM-ENGINE CHONDENSERS.

Specification forming, part of Letters Patent No. 91,770, dated June 22, 1869.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN RANsoM, of the city of Buffalo, county of Erie, and State of New York, have invented'a Condensing Apparatus for Steam-Engines and other like purposes; and I do hereby declare the followingto be afull and exact description thereof.

My invention consists in the combination of a siphon with a chamber or vessel in communication with the source of supply of the exhaust steam or other vapor to be condensed, when said chamber is located at thecrown or apex of said siphon, and in communication therewith, so that, siphonic circulation being established, the current thereof will pass through said chamber and perform the function of condensing steam or vapor, and carry olf the Huid resulting therefrom, and also carry off air or other incondensible gases or vapors obtaining entrance to said chamber, all of which will be accomplished by the minimum expenditure of power, and at a .great saving over the common method now in use, not only in regard to power, but in cost'of construction and maintenance.

The function performed by my invention is due, primarily, to the Well-known principle of siphonic circulation, and, secondarily, to adis# covery which I believe myself to have madefviz., that a stream of Water passing through an air-tight vessel filled with airin the first instance will gradually remove and carry off said air, and perfect and maintain a vacuum therein, and that the efficacy and rapidity of said removal will be as the velocity of said stream; and, further, said stream will, under proper proportions and velocity, carry off air admitted to said vessel in considerable quantities, and still perfect and maintain a vacuum therein.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation by reference to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, which is a sectional elevation of my said apparatus.

A represents the condensing chamber or vessel. B is a vessel representing the source of supply of the vapor to be condensed, as the cylinder of a steam-engine and O is a pipe forming a communication between, and conducting the vapor from, B to A. D repre- 4 sents the induction-legof the siphon, and E is the discharge-leg of same, both communi-v eating with the chamber A, which forms the apex or crown of said siphon. F is a waste- Well, into which the siphon discharges, the mouth of discharge-pipe E being below the level of theiiuids, as maintained therein by the overflow F'. Gr is a pump of any common construction, combined with the induction pipe D, to establish the circulation through D, A, and E in the first instance, and afterward tol raise water to such height in D as will enable` siphonic action to continue such circulation.

In general terms, the operation of my apparatus is'as follows: The steam or vapor'issuing from B is conveyed by pipe C to chamber A. lThe pump G, being putin operation, will discharge through the pipe D, into chamber A, the requisite water for effecting the condensation of the steam or vapor admitted therein. This water, together with the duid resulting from the condensation of said vapor, will be carried by gravity through the pipe E. As the operation continues, an approximate vacuum will be created in chamber A by theV condensation of the vapor therein, and by the action ofthe descending column of water in E, carrying off air and gases therefrom. As the vacuum becomes nearly perfected, the labor of the pump will become less until it reaches l its minimum. l

The proper lengths of the Siphon-pipes D and E will be determined by the well-known laws'regulating the action of siphons, modified somewhat by the requirements'of the discovery which is secondaril'y a basis of my invention.

In the first place, the length of the discharge-leg E must always be greater than that of a'column of water which would give a pressure equal to that of the external atmosphere minus that to be maintained within the condensing-chamber 5 otherwise an outflow from said chamber could not take place.

In the second place, although the actual length of the induction-leg D is not important, the circulating-pump, or its equivalent, must raise the water therein to such point as will allow the unbalanced atmospheric pressure (i. e., that of the external atmosphere minus y' that Ito be maintained within the condensingchamberl to raise and discharge the same into the condensing-chamber.

As an example, assume the vacuum maintained in chamber A to be equal to fourteen pounds, or 28.52 in mercury, per square inch; the unbalanced atmospheric pressure tending to raise the water in the induction-leg and prevent its issue from the dischargeleg would (-1- 14.16) equal a column of water 32.29 feet in height, so that the length of the dischargeleg would require to be in excess of 32.29 feet, say 33 feet, in order to allow gravity'to cause its discharge, and that of the induction-leg less than 32.29, say 32, to allow atmospheric pressure to raise it into chamber A. Owing to the friction of the water in the pipes, a still greater allowance should be made to insure the sipho'n circulation-say, make the discharge-leg 34 feet and the induction-leg 3l feet. Y

The economical working of the apparatus requires the difference in the lengths of the siphon-legs to be as small as possible, as the labor of the pump, or its equivalent, which is theonly part of the apparatus requiring an expenditure of force to operate, will increase or diminish as this dil'erence increases or diminishes.

Further, it is well known that the velocity of the circulating current is governed by this difference in the length of the Siphon-legs, increasing as the difference increases, and vice versa. Hence, the 'quantity of water delivered inthe condensing-chamber will be governed by the size of the siphon-pipes andthe dilference in their lengths; and therefore, to obtain the vmost economical action, it would appear proper to increase the size of the pipes rather than the difference in their lengths. It is in deciding this point that my discovery becomes of importance in view of the secondary function which the siphonic current is required to perform-viz., carrying off the air and incondensable gases which may leak in or be otherwise admitted into the chamber A. I have found the velocity of the current to be a very material element in removing said air and gases, and therefore nd it adl visable to give such difference inthe lengths of the Siphon-legs as will insure their removal. This dierence is not arbitrary, and cannot be liifxed in degree. The-only-rule that can be laid down is this, that if an apparatus is found to be inadequate to remove the air and gases, a sure remedy lies in an increase in the difference in the length of the legs. This difference is, of course, at the expense 'of power, but sti'll leaves a great saving in its favor, when compared with the apparatus in com-mon use, as under the most unfavorable circumstances the labor of the circulatingpump will not be above that required to elevate the given quantity of water eight or nine feet, while with the common air-pump, accomplishing the same result, its labor is equivalent to raisingthe same quantity thirty-two feet, or nearly so.

Further, it isevident that the admission of Vapor or steam to chamber A is not essential to the formation of a vacuum therein-that is to say, that the circulation of water through the same would take off air alone therefrom, so that the apparatus is competent to perform the function of a common air-pump, not only "as combined with a condenser, but for any other of its manifold uses. Its economy in other combinations is not, however, apparent, as the percentage of air which could-be carried off by the stream of water would not bear a fair proportion to the labor of the pump, or equivalent, in producing and maintaining said stream; but in combination with the condenser, its great economy must be manifest, since the water put in motion is made f to perform its function in effecting condensation without loss, and also removes the air and gases without any additional expenditure.

VIt is further evident that the pump may be combined with the discharge-leg instead of the induction-leg without eecting any essential change in the apparatus or in its' mode of operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is v The combination of a siphon and pump with a condensing-chamber, substantially as `herein described.

FRANKLIN RANSOM.

Witnesses:

J AY HYATT, EDWARD WILHELM.v y 

